Havergal College Grad Profile 2017

Keely Douglas

Claire Dirks

University of Pennsylvania  BIOCHEMISTRY AND LIFE SCIENCES

Yale University  ECONOMICS

Joining Havergal’s Rowing team in Grade 9 changed the course of Claire’s life: “I used to be interested in soccer, until I discovered rowing,” she says. She was co-captain of the team in her senior year before being recruited the Women’s Crew at Yale, where she is currently studying Economics. When not rowing, studying mathematics or giving a tour to prospective families as Admission Prefect, Claire could be found participating in some of Havergal’s many co-curricular opportunities, such as the Sign Language Club, the Games Club and the Kakuma Girls community partnership (a pen pal program in which students are paired with girls living in a refugee camp in Kenya). Claire feels drawn to leadership opportunities because she likes to challenge herself and work on different skills such as public speaking and community service. “I was eager to attend Havergal because of all of the leadership and athletic opportunities.”

“I’ve always been interested in writing, reporting and journalism,” explains Keely, who was Editor-in-Chief of Havergal’s newspaper, Behind the Ivy , in her senior year. Inspired by the English department, Keely enjoys using creative writing to convey scientific concepts and hopes to use visual arts to promote scientific literacy in the future. Currently, she is focussing her studies on biochemistry at the University of Pennsylvania. Her interest in the medical field was sparked in Grade 9 as a volunteer at Women’s College Hospital, helping patients prepare for appointments and working with medical files. In the summer of 2016, she was an intern at Stanford University’s cardiothoracic surgery department. “I learned anatomy and practiced surgical procedures such as coronary artery bypass procedures and aortic valve transplants on the hearts of pigs,” she explains. Keely also interned at a research incubator in its early stages at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, with the goal of bridging the gap between clinical research and traditional academic research. “The teachers at Havergal showed me that it’s possible to be passionate about both science and humanities. I have the confidence to make a connection in these areas that can have impact on the scientific world.”